LUDLOW, Vt. – The first spot was a “broom closet,” according to Mark Huntley, financial advisor and owner of Huntley Financial Services in Ludlow. Huntley was referring to the initial location of the four spaces his office has occupied over 25 years, all on Main Street: 192, 70, 116, and now, as of Friday, Nov. 15, you can find them at 101 Main, above Diamond Realty, across from Veterans Memorial Park.
Huntley remarked that probably the best feature of his new digs is “all the light the new space has. I am really enjoying that.” The office is in an old Victorian home that features a turret and windows on all sides, as opposed to the previous space with just one large window at the front.
Huntley has been a financial professional for more than 30 years. He worked for global financial services firm Raymond James in Manhattan prior to making the move to the Okemo Valley. Like many New Yorkers, Huntley had been a “weekend warrior,” coming up to Vermont with his family for years. One day, Huntley said, “I just decided I wanted to raise my kids in Vermont.”
The nature of the financial advisory business is such that face-to-face time is not required, most transactions are handled digitally. Prior to moving to Vermont, Huntley said he had 200 clients in 22 states, with five clients in Vermont.
Regarding the recent relocation, Huntley remarked, “A lot of things motivated the move. We still don’t see a lot of clients face-to-face. We have a lot more local clients than we did 15 years ago, but not necessarily physically.”
The team at Huntley Financial has just two people: Mark Huntley and Derek Karner. The two men work directly together to provide comprehensive services to their clients. Karner came on board six years ago, and Huntley said he has become “absolutely critical to the practice, and has been building relationships with all of our clients over that time.”
In addition to his professional life, Huntley is a musician who plays around the area with several local bands. He is active in the local community, and works with veterans through the nonprofit organization World TEAM Sports.
Huntley owns the office/condo they just vacated at 116 Main Street, and put it on the market three weeks ago. His realtor called to say someone was interested in purchasing the property, which is part of a row of storefronts including Teaselwood Interior Design and 3 Graces clothing boutique. “Turned out to be the Singletons,” Huntley reported, delighted. “I was told Ali was planning to open a children’s clothing store.”
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